Hague court to decide in July if Italy or India will try marines

The Hague, Dec 21 (IANS/AKI) An arbitration tribunal in The Hague will decide in July if Italy or India will try two Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen off southern India in February 2012 in a long-running case that has strained bilateral ties.

The Hague tribunal hearing will take place from July 8-20 and the judges must give a ruling within six months.

The two marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, who were guarding an Italian oil tanker at the time of the fatal February 15, 2012 shootings, allege they mistook the two fishermen for pirates.

Girone and Latorre have not been charged over the killings.

Italy claims the incident took place in international waters and sought international arbitration in 2015.

Both marines were allowed to return to Italy after the Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in August 2015 referred the case to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The marines have been allowed to stay in Italy pending the Hague court ruling.

--IANS/AKI

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